Offering of Help
by Tahlia1
Summary: A sweet moment in the life of Duo and Heero.


Title: Offering of Help  
Author: Tahlia  
Pairings: 1x2x1  
Warnings: None  
Archive: If you want it, just ask.  
Author's Note: This was a dream I had, and I just had to write it down. The cinematic style is a result of me being a spectator of the dream, and feeling the emotions that I tried to convey without many words. I hope the right effect came out, because it's a precious moment it you feel what I felt when I had the dream. It almost made me cry because of how intense it was. Enough ramblings. On to the fic.  
  
All throughout the city, a mad bustling of activity and noise resonated. Voices crying out in dismay or in joy echoed off the walls of the crowded city buildings; young mothers shouted at their children to come inside to wash up for dinner while a quiet old man took a leisurely stroll through the park. A young man, looking to be in his mid-twenties, walked down the street at a quick pace, seemingly unaffected by his surroundings or maybe just unaware. His head was slightly tilted down, causing his bangs to fall into his face, obscuring his eyes. The only expression visible on his shadowed face was a tiny smile.  
  
He stopped in front of a large apartment building, looking up at one of the windows before entering. He strolled through the lobby, shutting out the noise of the streets with the closing of the heavy doors behind him. He moved toward the elevators, pushing the button on the wall and waiting patiently. When the elevator finally arrived, he shuffled inside and pushed the button for his desired floor. As the elevator began to make its ascent, he casually leaned back against the wall and watched the slow procession of numbers above the doors.   
  
When he arrived at his intended destination, the young man stepped out quickly and began to stroll down the hall. Coming to the door he sought, he pulled a key out of the pocket of his heavy winter coat and inserted it into the lock of the door, turned it, and opened the door. He stepped into the warm air of the apartment and looked around for something, a perplexed expression coming over the man's features when he didn't find what he was searching for.  
  
"Duo? Are you here?" Heero called through the seemingly empty apartment. He removed his winter coat, revealing a sophisticated dark blue suit underneath, and hung it up on the coat rack next to the door. He wondered where Duo would be on his day off. He was usually there to greet him when he came home from work.  
  
He heard a soft voice from the direction of the living room, but he couldn't make out the words murmured. He glanced into the room from his position at the door, removing the restricting tie from around his neck. He couldn't see anyone from his position, so, leaving his tie on the coat rack, he ventured into the room.   
  
After he passed the couch, he saw Duo sprawled out in his favorite thinking position. He was lying on the floor with his arms crooked at the elbow, hands resting under his head, and legs splayed apart comfortably. Heero often came home to find Duo lounging on the carpet of one of the rooms of their spacious apartment. He refused to lie on any furniture when in one of his thinking moods, claiming that the excess comfort caused his brain waves to flow incorrectly and thus resulted in the nonconsensual loss of consciousness on said furniture.  
  
Heero walked up to the prone figure on the floor and smirked down at him. Duo grinned back up at him. "How was your day?" Duo asked.  
  
"Bearable," Heero replied as settled into a crouching position, moving closer to Duo's level as he leaned over him. "How was yours?"  
  
Duo's grin grew wider. "Absolutely fabulous," he replied in a chipper voice.  
  
Heero positioned himself over Duo, hands above his shoulders and one knee between his legs. He looked down at Duo with a playful expression. "Absolutely fabulous days don't usually result in you lying on the floor thinking. You generally reserve that for bad days."  
  
Duo smirked up at him, his eyes shining in the light coming through the window to his left. "Well, this absolutely fabulous day gave me something to think about," he replied, still fronting his good mood.  
  
"Is that so? Care to share, then?" Heero asked, his lips quirking in amusement.  
  
"Actually, no." Never losing his smile, Duo forced Heero back into a kneeling position as he sat up. He gave Heero a quick peck on the cheek before scrambling to his feet and crossing the living room in the direction of the kitchen. "You hungry?" He asked as he walked away. "I'm starved. I wonder what we have here at the house. I doubt there's anything edible. When was the last time one of us went grocery shopping?" Duo paused to peruse the refrigerator's contents, frowning at what he found. "For all the crap we have in here, we sure don't have much to eat. My God, how old is this?" He turned around to chuck some foil wrapped item in the trash can before fixing his attention back on the fridge.  
  
Heero just watched him from the living room, still kneeling on the floor. His gaze was calculating, analyzing Duo's body language. There was obviously something wrong, but it was apparent that Duo didn't wish to talk about it. Heero rose from his position on the floor and walked to the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against it and continuing his vigil.  
  
Duo, having given up on the fridge, had moved to the pantry. He was scrounging around while murmuring things under his breath about lousy storage space. He came out with a package of spaghetti noodles in one hand and a can of tomato sauce in the other. He turned around to face Heero, smile still in place. "We have some vegetables in the fridge, so I figured I could make spaghetti. Sound OK?"  
  
Heero nodded his acquiescence, so Duo turned placed the noodles and sauce on the kitchen table. He started looking through the cabinets, searching for their cutting board. When he found it, he put it on the counter and moved over to the sink to wash his hands. After he had the water turned on and was lathering up his hands with soap, he felt Heero's presence behind him. Before he could turn around, Heero had reached his arms around Duo's waist and was wetting his hands under the running water.   
  
"Whatcha doin?" Duo asked in an amused tone.  
  
"Helping," Heero replied simply, hoping his offer of support would be evident to his lover. Duo stood stiffly for an instant before he allowed himself to relax and lean back into Heero to create a semi-embrace, accepting the comfort of the contact offered.  
  
When they finished washing their hands, Duo turned and put his arms around Heero's neck. Heero returned the embrace, his arms automatically coming up to wrap themselves around Duo's slim waist, one hand coming up to take hold of Duo's braid. Heero peered into Duo's eyes, silently offering any support he needed. Duo touched his forehead to Heero's and closed his eyes, a peaceful expression stealing over his delicate features.   
  
"Love you," Duo whispered, eyes still closed.   
  
Heero tightened his grip around Duo's waist, pulling them closer together. "Love you, too."  
  
Duo took a deep breath before pulling away. "Let's make dinner," he said blithely, gracing Heero with a smile before bouncing off to retrieve the vegetables from the fridge. Heero smiled back and joined Duo to help. 'Let's.'  
  
-fini- 


End file.
